Roof repair in Royal Palm Beach, FL

Florida limits how much of a roof or roof section you can patch within any 12-month period, and the cap is 25 percent. Once repairs go beyond that cap, the whole roof section has to be replaced or recovered. The law draws its main dividing line between repair and replacement right here.

There is an exception. When your roof was built, repaired or replaced under the 2007 Florida Building Code or a later edition, current code applies only to the part being repaired. A local government cannot amend that exception. Roof age is a roof fact, not a house fact, so check your permit records. About 65.0 percent of homes here are single-family detached, and many owners will be weighing this question.

Insurance has its own age rule. Once your roof is 15 years or older, your insurer has to allow an authorized inspector to examine it, with you covering the cost. Age alone is not grounds for refusing or non-renewing coverage if that inspection finds 5 or more years of useful life remaining.

Florida code requires a permit to repair a building, but ordinary minor repairs may be approved without one by the building official. That official decides whether your repair qualifies as minor. Confirm with the Village of Royal Palm Beach Building office before work starts.

Once a storm has passed, keep off the roof and take your damage photos from the ground. Tarp or dry out what you safely can from inside. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with the peak on September 10, so keep repair plans ready before August.

About 82.3 percent of occupied homes here are owner-occupied. Owners decide who does the work. Florida law bars roofing contractors from soliciting insurance claims or advising on coverage, so take policy questions to your insurer or agent.